These delicious stuffed pork chops feature a stuffing blend with onions, celery, garlic, and apples, all seasoned with fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, and rosemary. They are easy enough to prepare for a weeknight meal but elegant enough to make for a small, intimate dinner party.
We enjoy these traditional stuffed pork chops often. They are easy to prepare and flavorful with fresh herbs and garlic. I love to serve these chops with green beans almondine or honey-roasted carrots. Sometimes I like to make a simple gravy with the drippings left in the pan by adding a cornstarch slurry.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Butter: unsalted or salted
- Fresh herbs: Such as parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary.
- Apple: Use good baking apples such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples. Other good choices are Braeburn or Pink Lady.
- Dried bread cubes: Many grocery stores carry dried bread cubes year-round, or you can dry your own. Either dry the bread by slicing it into cubes and letting it air dry for a couple of days, or spread it on a baking sheet in a single layer and place it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes, tossing it several times.
- Chicken broth: Preferably low-sodium
- Pork chops: Use extra-thick bone-in pork chops.
How To Make Stuffed Pork Chops
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
Melt a bit of butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and apple. Cook for a couple of minutes while stirring. Add a little more butter, bread cubes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir to combine and drizzle in the chicken broth while stirring to moisten the bread cubes. Remove the stuffing to a bowl or let it cool in the pan. Stir the beaten egg into the stuffing mix. Cut a pocket into the pork chops using a sharp knife. Fill the pocket with the stuffing mixture. Place the chops in the ovenproof skillet or the baking dish. Bake until the pork chops and stuffing are cooked through.
Preparation Tips
- If you use prepackaged, seasoned stuffing cubes, omit salt. They usually have a high sodium content, and salt can quickly take over the dish.
- Add the right amount of broth. The key here is to moisten the bread. It should not be soggy or dry. Add about 1/4 cup at a time until lightly moistened. You can always add more, but you can not take it back.
- Pork chops are cooked through when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees, and stuffing is cooked through when it reaches 165 degrees. The stuffing will reach temperature first, so don’t worry that the pork chops will be dry.
Serving Suggestions for Stuffed Pork Chops
- Vegetables: roasted cauliflower, fried corn, roasted parsnips, green bean bundles, and creamed peas and pearl onions.
- Bread and rolls: no-knead bread, yeast dinner rolls, angel biscuits, and drop biscuits.
- Low-carb choices: zucchini noodles, cauliflower mac and cheese, and cauliflower casserole.
More Pork Recipes
Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 small apple, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 3 cups dried bread cubes
- ¼ teaspoon salt (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾-1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 (1-1½-inch) thick pork chops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and apple. Cook for a couple of minutes while stirring.
- Add the remaining butter and let it melt, Add the bread cubes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine and drizzle in the chicken broth while stirring to moisten the bread cubes. Use just enough chicken broth to lightly moisten the bread cubes.
- Remove the stuffing to a bowl or let it cool in the pan. Stir the beaten egg into the stuffing mix.
- Cut a pocket into the pork chops using a sharp knife. Fill the pocket with the stuffing mixture. Place the chops in the ovenproof skillet or a baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Notes
- If you use prepackaged, seasoned stuffing cubes, omit salt. They usually have a high sodium content, and salt can quickly take over the dish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power for short intervals until warm.
Daniel Findlay
How do you cook stuffed pork chops to 145 for the meat but 165 for the stuffing? Doesn’t seem possible.
Beth Pierce
The stuffing is usually a different temperature than the meat.
Murry
I did store bought stuffed pork chops. They were huge, but they took so much longer to cook. Especially the stuffing. I had them in the oven for 65 minutes. The chops were done in 50 minutes but the stuffing took longer to reach temp.
Sarah
Okay, yum — these stuffed pork chops were insanely good! That apple and herb filling was the best. Totally saving this for the fall and winter when I want something hearty and tasty.
Kira A
This stuffed pork chops recipe was delicious and satisfying! We loved every bite.
Lisa
Gosh these stuffed pork chops are so juicy and delicious. The apple adds a lot of flavor!
Jerry
This stuffed pork chops recipe was absolutely delicious and perfect for a cozy, comforting dinner. I love how the combination of apples, herbs, and bread cubes brings both sweetness and depth to the dish. The step-by-step instructions make it easy to follow, even for a home cook like me. I appreciate your recipes, they are always delicious.
Kaylee
I gave this a try last night with the apple stuffing variation you mentioned—turned out super juicy and flavorful. The pan-searing tip before baking really made a difference. Great recipe!
Angela
Wow!! These pork chops were so fabulous! The entire family loved them. I can’t wait to make them again…YUM!!!
Ebony
I made this for my family’s dinner last night and it was soooooo good! I thought we would have leftovers, but everything was gone! I can’t wait to make this again!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it Ebony!